


Cinnamon Coffee

by virvatulilla



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:29:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9552818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virvatulilla/pseuds/virvatulilla
Summary: An AU "fanfic" for my original work.Draien's crush might or might not turn into something more... A long-ish drabble.





	1. Sup-meme Overlord

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by a friend who said I should write AUs for my ocs!

“I'm so tired,” Draien sighed when he fell on a chair near the counter, dropping his bag on the floor. “Can you bring me coffee here or do I have to come up there?”

“I hope that sound wasn't your laptop breaking again,” Frela noted from behind the counter. “The usual?”

“Like always,” Draien grunted, bending in half while trying to pull his laptop out of his bag. “Black and bitter – like my soul.”

“You are more like a cinnamon coffee; rich and sweet,” noted Kúura, who emerged from behind the counter to sit opposite to Draien. “Hey, Frela, I'm going to take my leave now. Can you manage alone for a while? When is Jalere coming in?”

Draien made extra sure that his laptop was intact, missing the part of conversation about work shifts. He almost got his home assignment open before Kúura pushed his laptop close.

Draien grunted, putting his hands onto his lap. “You wanna talk about something?”

Kúura had that annoying grin on his face again. “How is your crush?” he asked.

Draien drew his fingers through his hair. “No development whatsoever, if that's what you're asking,” he sighed. “He's still–”

“Let me see your phone.”

Draien's hand went instantly to protect the item in question. “What? No!” he protested. “No way in hell. Last time I gave you my phone you tried to flirt with my father!”

“I'm just saying he'd be a great sugar daddy. Being rich and all.”

“–then you succeeded in flirting with my uncle – aunt's still mad about it – AND you published my only drunk selfie ever on fucking _facebook_. How did you even manage to do that in less than five minutes? Wait– it doesn't matter. There is _no fucking way_ I'm giving you my phone.”

Kúura pouted. “I promise I won't do it again,” he said. “I just want to know how bad your crush is.”

“Can I see your phone for a bit?” asked Frela, putting Draien's coffee on the table. “There's only one thing I'm going to check. Then we won't be pestering you about it anymore.”

Draien sighed in defeat, exchanging his phone for the coffee. It took Frela a couple of seconds to come into a conclusion. “Yep,” she said, handing Draien's phone back. “It's serious. He's been writing poetry.”

Kúura leaned forward. “You have to tell me who it is,” he demanded. “Is there going to be a love confession? Do I know who the lucky guy is?”

Draien blew in his coffee for a while. “It's Vicos,” he finally confessed.

Kúura had to sit back to deal with his emotions while Draien was enjoying his coffee.

“Are you sure it's him?” Kúura asked after a while of stunned silence. “I mean– _you_ have a crush on _Vicos_? The same guy I had sex with two months ago? The same guy that could probably never be in a committed romantic relationship? Dude, that's sad.”

Draien sighed. “I didn't know it was him at first,” he admitted, “but after you showed me the pictures, I knew it was the same guy. Also, don't push your expectations on him. It's rude.”

Kúura gave a low whistle. “I suppose there's not gonna be any confessing, anyway,” he said.

“Are you telling me not to do it?”

Kúura spread his hands. “You know he's already engaged and all that shit,” he said. “So it's not like you got a shot at boyfriending him, and I'm pretty sure he only does sex with other people, not romance, but _you_ only do romance. I'm telling you to quit while you can. It won't work out.”

Draien shrugged. “I wouldn't mind a one-sided romantic relationship as long as there's cuddling involved,” he said, “and besides, he did say I'm attractive.”

“No way.” Kúura was excited again. “Okay, here's what we'll do. There's a party at Nangien's house tomorrow, and I can guarantee Vicos is going to be there. As much as I hate it, I'm gonna ask her to include you on the VIP list as well. It's gonna cost me, so you owe me one. You'll have time to get to know him there.”

Kúura was out of the door in a second, and Draien gave a long sigh, finally being able to continue his assignment.


	2. The Party

The party was indeed huge. It was at a glass palace, because apparently that's what Nangien was about. Spending other people's money, as Kúura noted on the back door where he had been waiting for Draien

"Is he here yet?" Draien asked when they were climbing stairs to the roof, which apparently was the VIP area.

Kúura smirked. "I told him to wait for you," he said. "You're going to have fun. If you go on a date afterward, I'll buy you both any coffee you want."

Draien licked his lips nervously. "What am I gonna say to him?" he agonized. "What if–"

"I'll stop you right there," Kúura said. "Tonight is gonna be fun! You should enjoy yourself!"

Draien sighed again. "Okay, I'll try," he said. "But I can guarantee nothing. Don't expect everything to go as smoothly as when you're involved."

Kúura patted Draien on the shoulder. "I'll be with Nangien, if you need me," he said. "But please, don't need me unless it's actually an emergency. I can't erase memories if you happen to see something you don't want to."

Draien scoffed. "Fine, I won't need you then. Where is he?"

Kúura pointed. "Looks like he's still alone," he said. "Why don't you go keep him company?"

"Ha ha," Draien said flatly, already walking toward the table where Vicos was sitting. He was absentmindedly twirling a red drink in his hand, and noticed Draien a few moments before he sat down across the table. Vicos smiled and beckoned Draien to come sit next to him.

"How delightful to see you here," Vicos smiled. "Come sit here with me, it's so loud in here that I wouldn't hear you from the other side of that table!"

Vicos was wearing a dress. A tight, sleeveless black dress that showed off his shoulders and arm muscles. Seeing Vicos like that made Draien's breath hitch, and for a moment he hesitated, not sure what to do with himself. Then Vicos patted the sofa next to him, and Draien sat down next to him. He was almost uncomfortably close to Vicos, so close that he could smell his perfume. It made him blush and turn his head away.

"You're shyer than usual," Vicos noted. "Is it because of me? Is me wearing a dress making you uncomfortable?"

Draien shook his head. "It's not that," he said. "Your dress looks _ridiculously_ good. I– I just– I've never actually done this before. What am I supposed to say?"

Vicos smiled. "It's not a test," he said, putting an arm around Draien's shoulders. "We can talk about whatever, just like any other conversation we've had. You can just relax, we can take it slow."

Draien shivered, and Vicos retrieved his arm. "Hey, um, could you tell me more about your pet dragon?" Vicos asked. "Or what was it?"

"A bearded dragon," Draien smiled. "It's a lizard, actually."

They talked until it was almost midnight. Vicos was leaning towards him, but Draien didn't feel threatened at all, like he usually would, a little light-headed if anything. Maybe it was the party going on around them, with people in fancy suits and so pretty, or maybe it was because of Vicos.

Draien had never had a crush like Vicos. He felt euphoric, intoxicated, like Vicos was making him feel things he hadn't felt in a very long time. Being relaxed around someone so confident, so...free. Draien felt like kissing Vicos. He was going to kiss Vicos. He licked his lips nervously, and Vicos was already looking at him with parted lips. Draien leaned closer, and their lips were almost touching–

Then he heard a hushed squeal. "Hey, look, real life gay porn!"

"Ohmygosh, that's so _hot_!"

Just like that, the moment was gone. Draien felt his heart break when he jerked away from Vicos and abruptly stood up. "I can't do this," he said in a hoarse whisper.

Vicos grabbed his hand. "Please don't go," he pleaded. "Ignore them. That was fucked-up and it's not right, but don't let them ruin this."

Draien turned around. "Do you even hear yourself?" he demanded. "You're just going to give those fetishizing jerks what they want? There are other people who will definitely do that with you, but I'm– don't make me do that. I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore. Not here, not right now."

Vicos smiled apologetically. "I won't hold you back," he said and stood up to give Draien a hug. He answered it reluctantly at first, but then slowly melted into Vicos's arms. When he pressed his hands against Vicos's back he could feel his muscles beneath his hands. "I'm sorry that they ruined our night," Vicos said. "And I'm sorry to see you go, because I had a wonderful time. We'll see at the university at least, I hope. Have a safe trip home."

Draien had a lump in his throat, and couldn't answer. He just wished Vicos a good night and walked away wishing he had never tried to kiss him.

 

* * *

 

Instead of Frela, someone else answered the door phone. "Who is this?" the girl demanded. "It's fucking midnight already and I just got home so it better be fucking important."

"Um, I'm Frela's friend, Draien. I called her a while ago and she said I could come here."

There was a brief silence, then the door unlocked. Draien climbed up and rang Frela's doorbell. The girl who had answered the door phone opened the door. "Oh, you're that guy," she said, letting Draien in. "You gonna stay over or what? Needing emotional support? I'll go wake Frela up."

Draien sat down on the couch when Frela emerged from the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry, I fell asleep after your call," she said. "Did something bad happen? Do you mind if Tyneira hears it too, or should I talk with her first?"

Draien gestured vaguely, and Frela nodded, going to help Tyneira with their dishes. "Why the fuck do you always leave the dishes in the sink?" Tyneira asked. Her words sounded harsh, but the tone was really soft. "Can't you do it alone? You're drying them."

Frela hummed contentedly and there was a lull in the conversation. After a while Frela broke the silence. "So, how was your evening?"

"With Aran?" Tyneira scoffed. "Guys always lie about their size. But it was good, nonetheless. Not great, but good. I enjoyed myself."

"That's nice," Frela answered. "I enjoyed myself as well."

Tyneira pushed Frela playfully. "So you finally felt good enough to try again," she said. "Nice. _Bi_ the way, could I try to get it on with a girl sometime? Do you mind or is that still off-limits?"

"No, I think it's fine if you want to, but I want to meet them. You should bring someone here for dinner or something, I don't mind cooking. Or having company."

Draien listened the casual conversation and the clinking of dishes with a weight in his chest. It was so soft, accepting and welcoming that he felt tears in his eyes.

When the dishes were done, Tyneira kissed Frela on the forehead before disappearing to the bedroom. Frela yawned and sat down on the couch next to Draien. "So," she said, "what happened?"

Draien narrated the night's events to Frela. "It was so close," he said, wringing his hands. "And I actually wanted to stay– I wanted him to tell me– I don't know. That he wanted me to stay? To know that it wouldn't be over after I walked away? I didn't want it to end like that."

Frela pressed a hand on top of Draien's hand. "It didn't end yet," she assured. "He wasn't upset, so why should he let you go after what happened?"

Draien shrugged. "Because Kúura told me that Vicos–"

"No," Frela said pointedly. "I know Kúura is your best friend, but you can't listen to that memelord's relationship advice. It's not _him_ we're talking about here. What did _Vicos_ say to you? Did he say he was not going to see you again?"

"...no," Draien admitted. "He said he'd like to see me again."

Frela squeezed Draien's hand. "There you go," she smiled. "He wants to see you again. If you want, you could even ask him on a date, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Draien smiled softly. "Thank you," he said. "I'll think about that."

Frela yawned. "Do you want to sleep on the couch?" she asked. "Or are you going back to the dorm?"

Draien stretched his arms. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to the dorm. Kúura will have a stroke if I'm not home when he comes back from the party."

"Okay," Frela said. "Good night then."


	3. Things That Are Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week after the party...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized this wasn’t actually a “proper” coffee shop au, but well, can’t do anything to that now.

Vicos approached Draien during lunch. He was wearing skinny jeans that made other people in the cafeteria stare at him when he walked past. He was also wearing glasses, which was why Draien almost didn’t recognize him before he sat opposite to him.

“How are you?” Vicos asked. “Still fighting the dragon?”

Draien blinked. “Are you talking about a figurative dragon now?” he asked. “Because if you are, then yes.”

Vicos nodded. “Have you thought about what I asked?”

Draien huffed. “As if I’d thought about anything else than that,” he said.

“Have you decided?”

Draien bit his upper lip and was silent for a while. “I’ve made the decision,” he stated. “I will go on a date with you – on one condition.”

Vicos nodded, looking eager to find out, but very cool and composed at the same time. “What is it?”

“You let me explain myself before we start discussing anything relationship-related.”

Vicos nodded again. “When are we going?”

“Now,” Draien said, gathering his belongings, then proceeding to take away his tray. Vicos didn’t follow him, but waited by the cafeteria door instead. Draien almost turned around to walk away. The only thing stopping him from doing exactly that was that Vicos was looking straight at him.

When he reached Vicos, Draien took his hand. It was big and warm, and even though the gesture invited some curious gazes, Draien mostly felt safe.

Vicos had a tender smile on his face. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“To get free coffee,” Draien answered.

 

* * *

 

When Vicos and Draien stepped into the coffee shop, it was almost full. Draien saw Frela behind the counter, working so fast she was almost just a blur. “Let’s hope we can get a decent seat somewhere,” Vicos said. “There’s so many people! Do they give free coffee here?”

“No, it was a personal promise” Draien said. “Why don’t you tell me what you want and go reserve a seat? I’ll wait in line.”

Vicos told Draien his order and took both their bags to reserve a quiet booth for them. To do that he had to drive out a couple of teenagers, who got up in a hurry when they realized Vicos was coming their way.

Draien didn’t have to wait for long, but when it was his turn, Frela stopped. ”Where’s Kúura?” Draien asked. ”He owes me two coffees.”

”I was hoping you’d come,” Frela said frantically. ”He’s been in the bathroom for half an hour. There’s so many customers that I can’t go to him, could you do that? Tell him to stop making me do all the work alone. He’s in the staff bathroom, thankfully.”

Draien walked to Vicos’s table, explaining the situation to him briefly before entering the staff-only area. He had been there a couple of times after Frela and Kúura’s work shifts, so he knew where to find the bathroom. What Frela had said worried him, because it wasn’t like Kúura to neglect work.

The staff bathroom door was locked. Draien knocked on it.

”Who’s there?” Kúura sounded like he’d been crying.

”Doris.”

Kúura was silent for so long Draien thought he would have to kick down the door to get to him. Then he heard Kúura sigh loudly and say, ”Doris who?”

”Doris locked, can you open it up?”

”You know I think that’s a stupid-ass joke,” Kúura said, and Draien heard the door unlocking. ”But I guess I appreciate the effort.”

Draien opened the door to see Kúura sitting on the toilet seat with a gun in his hand. Kúura shook his head. ”Trust me, it’s been worse,” he said. ”This is fake, by the way. If I had a real one, it would be too late already.”

Draien leaned against the door frame. ”Why?” he asked. ”Haven’t you been able to talk to anyone about this?”

”Not this,” Kúura said, pressing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. ”I– I can't– This is–”

Draien held out his hand, and Kúura reluctantly gave him the fake gun. He waited for a while for Kúura to continue, but nothing happened. Draien stepped closer to Kúura and pulled him against his stomach, stroking his bleached hair. ”It’s okay if you can’t talk to me about it,” he said. ”But you should talk about it to someone. I do want to help you and you know I’m always willing to hear you out – but please, just– I don’t want to lose you.”

Kúura was shaking, tears and snot running down his face. ”I’m so sorry,” he said, ”I shouldn’t make you do this, I’m so sorry–”

”Hey, I don’t mind” Draien said gently. ”I’m here because I want to.”

Kúura sniffled and didn’t say anything for a while. ”I’m s–”, he started, then paused and started again. “Um, thank you for being here for me.”

”Of course,” Draien answered. ”Can you go back to work or do you need to call someone else in? You kinda owe me two coffees.”

Kúura pulled away from Draien. ”Does that mean you’re on a date with Vicos?” he asked, looking terrified. ”Did I ruin it?”

”No, you’re going to make it perfect,” Draien said. ”By buying us the coffees you promised. Can you do that? Or do I call someone to make sure you don’t do anything to yourself?”

Kúura shook his head. ”I’ll go back to work,” he said, standing up and going to wash his face. ”Let’s hope it will keep me distracted enough. When you leave, is it okay if I call you if I need to?”

”As always,” Draien said. ”Do you mind if I go back to my date or do you still need me here?”

Kúura shooed Draien away. First he threw the fake gun into the trash, then going to tell Frela that Kúura was coming back, also taking their order from her. When he got the coffees, he brought them to Vicos. ”I’m sorry that I kept you waiting for this long,” he said, sitting next to him. ”Here’s your coffee.”

”Nah, it’s okay,” Vicos said. ”I was doing homework in the meantime. Was everything alright with your friend?”

”No, but you don’t need to worry about it,” Draien said. ”How’s your coffee?”

Vicos took a sip and hummed softly. ”It’s very nice,” he said. ”Change of subject. What did you want to say about dating me?”

Draien took a huge sip of coffee before answering. ”Could you explain to me what you mean by that?” he asked. ”Dating you. I know you’re engaged, and I’ve heard that you have sex with other people…is that what you want from me?”

Vicos was quiet for a while. ”Both of those things are correct,” he said. ”I do have a fiancée, and occasionally have one-night stands, but that’s not everything. I like you. A lot. I know I might come across as someone who only thinks about sex, but do you still think that? If it was sex I wanted from you, I’d given up, because it’s clear to me that you don’t want it, and I’m not going to ask you to.”

Draien suddenly felt like a huge weight had dropped from his chest. ”Then what do you want from me?”

”I want to date you,” Vicos said, a gentle smile tucking at his lips. ”And that means exactly what we decide it means. Just holding hands, going on dates and talking about stuff, if that’s what you’re comfortable with.”

Draien slid closer to Vicos. ”I’m comfortable with more than that,” he said quietly, licking his lips. ”Do you mind–”

”Not at all,” Vicos said, moving his fingers to lift Draien’s chin up. Draien closed his eyes, and felt Vicos’s breath on his lips. Then there was a kiss. Soft, tasting a bit of sugary coffee, it made Draien’s chest feel tight, almost as if his heart was trying to fill it up. Vicos pulled away, but Draien brought a hand to his neck and pulled him back.

Draien heard a low whistle. He didn’t even break the kiss to flip Kúura off.

”That’s rude,” Draien heard Kúura gasp jokingly.

”You deserved it this time,” Frela answered. ”Now go back to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, that's it. I quite enjoyed writing this!


End file.
